Hi Jean I was out doing some errands this past weekend and drove by a house in Loudonville that had a flock of robins on it. The lawn had a tree on it and the area under the tree was loaded with some kind of fruit that was left over from last fall. The recent melting of the snow had uncovered the fruit and the robins were feasting. March 1st is this Saturday, I hope, spring and warmer temperatures are not to far behind.

I was in Albany on the 18th just after the ice storm and couldn't believe the number of robins I saw. Did a double take. Wonder if they ever went south.

Hi hostajim and aurore

Our flock was all over our mountain ash and our lawn. I did chat with a gal at our garden club meeting last night who lives over by Burden Lake and she said her robins never left.
It is my understanding that they eat seeds and grain as well as insects. In fact, someone told me years ago that when they overwinter here they stay by apple orchards because they can get by because of the apples that are left.
I do know that was our first sighting since the fall.
Jean

I haven't seen robins or much of anything else lately. I haven't even heard the early morning songs of all the various birds yet but I am sure they will be coming soon.

Penny

Hi to all

One of the gals down our way in Chatham, NY just reported her first red wing blackbird..........so spring must be coming !!!
Penny....you should start hearing something very soon!!!!

Jean

My Dad says the heck with robins as the harbingers of spring. As far as he's concerned it's not spring until he sees a red wing blackbird.

Jean,
I sure hope you are right. Hearing the birds early in the morning is always such a welcome sound to me and I look forward to it each year. regardless what the temp. reads, I sit out on the porch with my first cup of coffee and listen to them.

Penny

Hey Jean
No Robins but I just heard my first cardinal singing!!!!!Yippeee!!!!!

Penny

Hi Penny

It is so funny that you bring up your singing cardinal......I just talked to my daughter in East Aurora and all she has seen are her cardinals.

I am thinking that you are up in that part of NY also!!

Jean

Jean I am 12 miles from Niagara Falls. I think I am about an hour away from E. Aurora (Depending on who is driving LOL). I did See a beautiful Blue Jay yesterday when the female cardinal was at the feeder yesterday morning. Usually my 1 pair of cardinals comes to the feeder just after daylight and then I seen them just before dusk but had not heard them until yesterday. Since it is much warmer this morning I went out on the porch a little while ago, just after 6:00 a.m. but no singing yet this morning.
Penny

No robins sighted yet, or red winged blackbirds, but I have noticed a change of birds at the feeder.

While most of the winter I only had chickadees, finches, and a few sparrows and nuthatches, this weekend I had a downy woodpecker, four or five mourning doves, a starling, some pine siskins, and another bird that I have to look up that I'm not positive what it was.

Last winter I regularly had the downy woodpeckers, cardinals, blue jays, pine siskins, and the chickadees, sparrows, finches and nuthatches. This has been the worst year of feeding I have had since I bought the house and put up feeders.

Hi Hammer

Our mourning doves just arrived last week also but no starlings as of yet. However my husband sees the robins out by the treeline.

Our feeders have been very busy all winter and our suet feeders seems busier than ever but that is so sad that you did not have as many birds as you nornally do. We so enjoy the bird activity during the winter months.

Thanks for your comments.....Jean

My one pair of cardinals has been the only real constant at the feeders. I had to move the feeder from the center of the yard to a more protected area and when I did I quit seeing the downy and 2 nuthatches. Until three days ago the starlings had also disappeared. They have been bad here for about a month but the day we had the warm up they were on the move and looking for my feeder. Now that it is close to a window I can run them off without having to go outside

Penny

No robins here yet, but we had red-wingled blackbirds for the first time on 3/8. I noticed about two weeks ago that the morning songs of the birds was more "spring-like" if that makes any sense...LOL. Our bird population has been down all winter because of an increase in hawks in the area. I hope that means my vole population will be down this year also. We live on a river and I noticed that the sea gulls have been around a lot more than usual too. I don't ever remember seeing so many, late winter, spring or summer....not sure what that means....

I saw a flock (25+) under a Mt. Ash tree eating the large red berries that had fallen to the ground just ONE WEEK AGO and Hammerl, you are 2 streets away in Williamsville, so Penny keep looking because they are here! Don't know what the poor things ate last week with all the snow we got, but it is now melting down considerably.

Ginny B.

Hi Ginny and Adina

Thanks for joining in ...as I saw your message our first song sparrow of the year was looking my way so spring and the morning chirping of the birds must be getting real close.

What are other folks seeing at their feeder?

Jean down by Albany

Two robins were sitting in a tree when one said "I sure am hungry after that long flight back up to Albany." The second robin agreed, then suggested they fly down to the ground for some nice fat worms.
After stuffing themselves, the first robin said he was to full to fly back up into the tree and suggested they stretch out to bask in the warm sun while their dinners digested. So they did.
Shortly thereafter, a very hungry cat strolled by, gobbled up the robins and then decided to take a little nap in the sunshine. As he stretched out, he rubbed his tummy and with a sigh and very large smile, said to himself...
"Nothin tastes as good as basking robins."

(Sorry, I just couldn't resist.....)

AdaO

HI Ada

Pretty funny......especially since our family is in the ice cream business.

Jean